Sub 5 to True Adam Chart: Looksmaxxing Tiers Explained

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Looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne explains what a “true Adam” is on the “Chad-o-Meter” scale

Co-authored by Austin Wayne and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: March 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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• “True Adam” Meaning
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• “Chad-o-Meter” Breakdown
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• Origins
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• Is it accurate?
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• Video

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You’ve probably heard the term “true Adam” on social media, but what exactly does it mean? It refers to the top tier of the “Chad-o-Meter,” a looksmaxxing scale used to rate male attractiveness. Fortunately, we’re breaking down the meaning of a “true Adam” and the entire “Chad-o-Meter” scale, with insights from aesthetics and self-improvement coaches and an influencer. We’ll also explain the origins of looksmaxxing rating scales and whether they’re accurate.

True Adam Looksmaxxing Chart

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Looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne explains that a “true Adam” is the most attractive type of man. He ranks at the top of the “Chad-o-Meter” scale, a system used to rate male attractiveness in the looksmaxxing community. Here’s a quick breakdown of the scale:

• Sub-3, sub-5, or low-tier normie: Below average attractiveness.
• Mid-tier normie: Average, which is where most people fall.
• High-tier normie: Above average, with good facial structure, though not elite.
• Chad: Top-tier attractiveness, with exceptional facial harmony and symmetry.
• True Adam: Epitome of male attractiveness, with strong features and minimal flaws.

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Section 1 of 4:

“True Adam” Meaning

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1. 
   A “true Adam” is considered the epitome of male attractiveness. In the looksmaxxing community, a true Adam refers to the best-looking man possible. He likely has high facial symmetry and well-defined features, including high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and ideal eye spacing and tilt. Essentially, this is a man “who has reached the pinnacle of facial aesthetics,” says aesthetics and self-improvement coach Rorz.

   • Typically, a true Adam conforms to the Golden Facial Ratio. This means his face length is 1.618 times its width.
   • Celebrity examples: Tom Welling, Henry Cavill, Matt Bomer, Ian Somerhalder, Hernán Drago, Jon-Erik Hexum, Vasiliy Stepanov, Jordan Barrett, and Francisco Lachowski

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Rorz is an aesthetics and self-improvement coach, entrepreneur, and model from Australia. He teaches men how to transform their appearance through evidence-based looksmaxxing, with over 60,000 YouTube subscribers.

   Austin Wayne is an aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority, ACE-certified personal trainer, and professional male model. He has 9 years of experience in fitness, aesthetics, and self-improvement.

   Gia Rutkowski is an influencer, content creator, speaker, and consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. She has 130k+ followers across TikTok, Substack, and YouTube.
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Section 2 of 4:

A Breakdown of the “Chad-o-Meter”

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1. 
   The Chad-o-Meter refers to a scoring system used to rate male attractiveness. Created by looksmaxxers, or people who focus on maximizing their appearance to boost their confidence and sexual appeal, the Chad-o-Meter is a subjective (but pretty problematic) scale that analyzes male faces and ranks them into different “tiers” from 1 to 10. Similar to the PSL scale, attractiveness is usually assessed across 4 categories: facial harmony, dimorphism, angularity, and miscellaneous features. Here’s a quick overview of each tier in the Chad-o-Meter:

   • Sub 3: Exceptionally unattractive and often exhibit deformities. Anything from 0-3 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Low subhuman: Anything from 0-2 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Subhuman: Anything from a 2.1-3 on a scale from 1-10.
   • Sub 5: This is someone who’s noticeably below average, often due to weak facial structure, poor fitness, or grooming, says aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne. Anything below a 4 on a scale from 1-10.
     • High subhuman: Anything from a 3.1-3.9 on a scale from 1-10.
   • LTN (low-tier normie): Wayne says this refers to someone below average but closer to the middle, highly improvable through lifestyle and grooming. Anything from a 4.5-4.9 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Lower low-tier normie (LTN-): Anything from a 4-4.4 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Higher low-tier normie (LTN+): Anything from a 5-5.4 on a scale from 1-10.
   • MTN (mid-tier normie): This means average, which is where most people fall, according to Wayne. Anything from a 6-6.4 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Low mid-tier normie (MTN-): Anything from a 5.5-5.9 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Higher mid-tier normie (MTN+): Anything from a 6.5-6.9 on a scale from 1-10.
   • HTN (high-tier normie): This means above average with good structure and presentation, though not at an elite level, explains Wayne. Anything from a 7.5-7.9 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Lower high-tier normie (HTN-): Anything from a 7-7.4 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Higher high-tier normie (HTN+): Anything from an 8-8.1 on a scale from 1-10.
   • Chad: This is someone with exceptional facial harmony and symmetry, often at a professional model level, claims Wayne. Anything from an 8.7-9.4 on a scale from 1-10.
     • Chadlite: This refers to someone who’s clearly attractive, with strong features and presence, says Wayne. Anything from an 8.2-8.6 on a scale from 1-10.
   • True Adam: Someone who represents the ideal male appearance, nearly perfect in physical appearance. Anything from a 9.3-9.9 on a scale from 1-10.

Section 3 of 4:

Origins of Looksmaxxing Ranking Systems

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1. 
   Looksmaxxing ranking systems come from misogynistic incel communities. According to influencer Gia Rutkowski, they emerged from red-pill, incel-adjacent communities on platforms like Reddit and 4chan. “These men tend to accuse women of being superficial and having hypergamic tendencies.” Frustrated by their inability to date or find partners, they believe appearance determines a person’s worth and destiny, and use hierarchical rating systems to assess physical attractiveness and offer advice on how to maximize their looks.

   • “Over time, looksmaxxing has diffused to the rest of youth internet culture, jokingly referenced or used casually as a method of self-improvement,” says Rutkowski. However, many are unaware of its dark roots, originating in groups “working hand-in-hand with alt-right pipelines.”
   • Looksmaxxing gained traction in the 2010s and became more popular in the early 2020s, moving from online forums to mainstream platforms like TikTok. It initially focused on harmless methods like prioritizing personal hygiene, but has slowly incorporated more extreme (and dangerous) methods, including plastic surgery and unregulated hormone and supplement use.
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Section 4 of 4:

Is the “Chad-o-Meter” accurate?

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1. 
   No, the Chad-o-Meter isn’t accurate or rooted in hard science. While looksmaxxing rating systems are supposedly objective, they come from misogynistic internet and social media users—not real scientists. They also tend to rank people higher based on Eurocentric beauty standards, which is highly flawed and racist. Beauty standards change across cultures and over time, and physical attraction varies widely from person to person. It’s important not to take rating systems seriously, since they don’t actually indicate whether you’re attractive!

   • Looksmaxxing rating systems can be useful as a reference for identifying realistic self-improvement goals, but they become detrimental when used as a fixed label or to judge others, says Wayne.
   • At the end of the day, beauty is highly subjective, and your physical appearance doesn’t define who you are. Your personality, actions, and character matter more in building self-worth and high-quality connections over the long term. Physical beauty fades, but inner beauty lasts forever!

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